Composite package



March 19, 1968 w. A. SCHAICH 3,373,919

COMPOSITE PACKAGE Original Filed July 22. 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. M460? fiw/m BY @ZZJOMQM in 4.1M

March 19, 1968 w. A. SCHAICH COMPOSITE PACKAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 22, 1964 INVENTOR. A aawe ,4 afw/i/c March 19, 1968 w. A. SCHAICH 3,373,919

COMPOSITE PACKAGE Original Filed July 22, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Ah 6 we Q3/6064 I gnaw/M United States Patent 3,373,919 COMPOSITE PACKAGE Wilbur A. Schaich, Maumee, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois, Inc., a corporation of Ohio Original application July 22, 1964, Ser. No. 385,831, now

Patent No. 3,324,214, dated June 6, 1967. Divided and this application Feb. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 616,755

. 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-14) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A composite package comprising a continuous liner member positioned in a paperboard box having internal surfaces wherein said liner member contacts said internal surfaces in point-by-point contact.

'board. The flexible inner bag is generally formed from thin thermoplastic film, such as polyethylene, in the form of a lay-flat bag tubing whcih is cut to length and heat sealed at one end. The other end of the bag is either left open and wire tied after the bag is filled, or it is heat sealed closed and a dispensing fitment is heat sealed to the side wall of the bag and a closure applied to the fitment. The latter method of closing the bag is the most desirable when the bag is to be filled with a liquid. The components of the composite package are supplied separately and assembled by the packager.

Since the bag is tubular and the outer shipping container is preferably rectangular, the bag has to have a substantially greater surface area than the interior of the box to insure that all portions of the bag, when filled, are in contact with and supported by the box walls. This inherently results in some folding and creasing of the thin walled bag which can cause splitting of the bag under stresses and shocks encountered in shipping.

The method of this invention is directed primarily to the formation of a flexible bag by blow molding, within the outer container, with the side walls of the container functioning as a mold to accurately define the side walls of the bag.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method for forming an inexpensive flexible bag for a composite bag-in-a-box package.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method for forming a flexible bag for a composite bag-in-a-box package, with the bag having an integral dispensing fitment, and more importantly with the bag conforming exactly to the box interior.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method for forming a composite bag-in-a-box package wherein the bag is formed within the box, thereby eliminating subsequent assembly operations.

A further object is to produce a novel bag-in-a-box container wherein a finish is provided on the bag and is concealed entirely within the box.

A still further object is to provide a forming system for 3,373,919 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 producing composite containers wherein a box comprising a part of such a container functions as a mold component.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, the preferred embodiment of this invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus used to practice the method of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1, showing the blowhead moving down after the finish of the bag has been injection molded;

FIGURE 2A is a reduced scale perspective view of the shipping container or box in erected form;

FIGURE 3 is a view generally similar to FIGURE 2, showing the bag being blown within the box;

FIGURE 4 is a view generally similar to FIGURE 3, showing the blowhead retracted from the finished bag;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a'sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5, with the outline of the base plate opening rotated and shown by phantom lines.

Basically, the method of this invention comprises forming a parison of heated thermoplastic material, placing the parison entirely within the confines of a paperboard box or similar outer shipping container and expanding the parison within the box to form a flexible bag, with the side walls of the box acting as a mold to define the shape of the side walls of the bag. The parison of thermoplastic material is preferably formed by first injection molding the finish or neck portion of the bag, extruding a required length of tubing integral with the neck portion and lying within the confines of the box, and then pinching closed the tubing at the desired length.

The outer shipping wrapper or box of this invention can comprise a box B (FIGURE 2A) of the type shown in US. Patent No. 2,783,933, wherein the closure flaps F are tied together by integral tabs or bridging connection C. This container B can be flattened with the closure flaps F folded along the side walls of the box. When the box is opened, the closure flaps F will be held securely against the side walls of the box and the outer shipping wrapper or box B becomes, in effect, a four panel sleeve, i.e., four rectangular paperboard panels foldably connected together to define a tubular configuration. For purposes of clarity, the box B is shown on the drawings, with the exception of FIGURE 2A, as a four panel sleeve.

Referring to FIGURES l and 2, the apparatus used to practice the method of this invention comprises a stationary bed plate 10 which is supported by supporting members 11. A pair of upstanding side rails 12 are adjustably secured to the bed plate 10 in parallel relation and are spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the box B. Thus successive boxes B may be moved along the bed plate 10. Different width boxes may be accommodated by adjusting the spacing of side rails 12. A conventional extruder orifice 15, through which thermoplastic material, such as polyethylene, is fed as required by an extruder (not shown), is located slightly above the side rails and in line with an opening 10a formed in the bed plate.

A blowhead 16, which will be described in detail hereinafter, is positioned in line with the opening 10a and mounted for vertical movement through the opening.

The blowhead is mounted on a ram 17 of a hydraulic cylinder 18.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4, an annular shoulder 19 is formed at the upper end of the ram 17. Extending vertically above the shoulder 19 is a blowpipe 20 which has a central bore 21. Air under pressure is supplied through the central bore 21 by conventional means (not shown). A circular neck mold holder 22 surrounds the shoulder 19 and carries at its upper end a pair of partible, mating neck mold halves 23 and 24. The neck mold halves together with the upper portion of the blowpipe 2t) define the neck opening or finish of the bag. The mold halves 23 and 24 are mounted in holder 22 by a tongue and groove arrangement (not shown) permitting lateral movement relative to the holder 22 and relative to each other. The lateral position of the mold halves 23 and 24 is determined by pins 25 which are mounted on the shoulder 19 at an angle relative to the axis of the ram 17, whereby relative movement between the shoulder 19 and the mold holder 22 causes the mold halves 23 and 24 to move laterally relative to each other between open and closed positions. The mold holder 22 is axially spring loaded relative to shoulder 19 by means of compression springs 26 placed between the bottom of the shoulder 19 and bottom of the holder 22, which urge the holder 22 downwardly relative to the shoulder 19. Downward movement of the mold holder 22 relative to the shoulder 19 will, because of the angle of the pins 25, cause the mold halves to close.

The upper end of the space defined by the container or box is closed, when it is in line with the extruder orifice, by a pair of plates 36 which are secured to the top of side rails 12. Plates 30 are disposed in spaced apart relationship to provide an opening 30a to permit the closed neck mold halves 23 and 24 to project therethrough and abut the extruder orifice. This opening 30a is closed during the blowing operation (FIGURE 3) by a pair of laterally movable top closure plates 31 that are respectively operatively connected to the double action air cylinders 32. The air cylinders 32 are mounted on brackets 33 that are secured to the side rails 12. The air cylinders 32 are connected to a source of air under pressure and are operated by conventional valves (not shown).

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 5, the base plate 10 has a transversely extending slot 35 in the vicinity of the opening 10a. A pair of bottom closure plates 36 are slidably mounted in the slot 35 and are moved together to close the opening 10a where necessary. The plates 36 are respectively operatively connected to double action air cylinders 37 that are mounted on the base plate 10. The air cylinders are connected to air under pressure and operated by a conventional valve arrangement (not shown).

Referring to FIGURE 1, the containers or boxes B are advanced forwardly between the side rails 12 by a pusher arm 40 which is operably connected to conventional means (not shown) which alternatively move the pusher arm 40 back and forth. The forward end of the first box B in a line of boxes is restrained by a restraining mem' ber 41 which comprises an arm that is operatively connected to move back under the pressure or influence of the pusher arm 40 by conventional means (not shown).

In the practice of the method of my invention, a collapsed box B is dropped onto the base plate 10 and moved forwardly by the ram 40 against the preceding box thereby causing it to take an erect or open sleevelike position between side rails 12. The pusher arm 40 is further advanced to position the preceding box beneath the plates 30, and in line with the extru-der orifice 15. The cylinder 18 is then raised to its uppermost position and the blowhead 16 raised by the ram 17 into contiguous relation with the extruder orifice 1.5. Thermoplastic material is then extruded from orifice 15 into the neck mold cavity to injection mold the finish of the bag. The blowhead 16 is then lowered, while extrusion of the thermoplastic material is continued, at a rate substantially equal to the rate which the thermoplastic material is extruded from the extruder orifice 15 in the form of tubing T until blowhead 16 reaches a position in line with the base plate 13 where holder 22 contacts cylinder 18. See FIGURE 3. Further extrusion is then discontinued.

At this position, the neck molds 23 and 24 preferably project to some degree into the space defined by the box B. This will result in the finished neck of the bag being recessed into the confines of box B.

The lower closure plates 36 are then moved by actuating the air cylinders 37 to abut against the neck mold halves 23 and 24 to completely close the lower end of the space defined by the box B. The upper plates 31 are concurrently moved inwardly by actuating the air cylinders 32 to completely close the upper end of the space defined by box B and to pinch closed the tubing forming a tail T. A conventional cut-off knife 45 is then actuate-d to pass across orifice 15 and the top of plates 31 to sever the extruded tubing, leaving the orifice free for the next operation.

After the closure plates 36 and 31 have been closed, air under pressure is admitted through the central bore 21 of blowhead 16 to expand the tubular parison to the confines of the box B, with the side walls of the box acting as a mold and defining the side 'walls of the bag. After the bag has been blown, the ram 17 is moved downwardly, but the mold holder 22 is held stationary against the upper end of the cylinder 18 thereby compressing the springs 26. The relative movement between the mold holder 22 and the'shoulder 19 causes the mold halves 23 and 24 to open or move laterally. The pressure in cylinder 37 is reduced or reversed to permit bottom closure plates 36 to move apart sufficiently to accommodate the opening movement of neck molds 23 and 24. After the mold halves are opened, the cylinder 18 may, if necessary, be moved downwardly, allowing the neck mold halves to clear the base plate 10 (FIGURE 4). The lower closure plates 36 are then moved inwardly to completely close the opening 10a. The ram pusher 40 is actuated in the manner described hereinbefore to erect a new box and to shift the completed bag-in-a-box package out of the forming area. The recessed position of the finish or neck portion of the bag permits such movement to occur without damage to the plastic bag.

The tabs or connections C joining the end flaps F of box B may be severed and the flaps F folded in normal fashion to close the two ends of the box, and the completed composite package is shipped erect.

The flaps F are folded without folding and creasing the plastic bag. Thus, the inner surfaces of the end flaps F occupy the same position relative to the enclosed bag as the inner surfaces of the mold closure plates 31 and 36. Hence the bag is supported by the interior surfaces of the box B in point-by-point surface engagement without any creasing or folding whatever.

To use the package, the filler need only open the flaps F overlying the finish of the bag, fill the bag through the finish, apply a closure to the finish and reclose the top flaps F.

It should be noted that a rounded shoulder 47 is formed on the upper end of the mold halves and thus provides a concave formation 48 on the blown bag connecting the body'of the bag to the recessed neck. With this formation, the application of a slight axial pull to the neck will pop out the neck of the bag from its recessed position to make filling or dispensing more convenient.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be modified through a Wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is not, therefore, the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

1. In a composite container,

an erected, collapsible shell member having internal surfaces,

a continuous liner member of expanded thermoplastic tubing having substantially uniform thickness conformed to said internal surfaces of said shell in point by-point contact, but unattached relation,

and a neck on said continuous liner, located entirely within said erected shell member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Gardner 229-14 Shorts 22937 Rench et al 22914 Cox 229-14 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner. 

